The Romanian

Identity

Romanian Traditional Costumes

MaramuresCri

sana

Banat

Transilvania

Oltenia Muntenia

Dob

roge

a

Moldavia

Bucov

ina

Banat

Transilvania

Romanian Traditional Costumes

Dobrogea

Maramures

Moldova

Crisana Bucovina

Muntenia

Romanian Special

CelebrationsMartisorDragobete

Dragobete -Dragobete is

a Romanian tradition that is celebrated on the 24th February. Dragobete is the love holiday, like Valentine’s Day.

It is said that the people who take part in Dragobete celebration will be protected from illness, especially fever.

It is said that if you step over your partner's foot, you will lead the relationship.

Dragobete

Martisor -Martisor is a

Romanian tradition that is celebrated on 1st March. On this day, gentlemen give ladies nice pendants that are called “martisoare”.

Martisor -A

martisor is made of white and red string and a nice pendant that can illustrate a flower, a clover or other things.

Red & white string

PENDANT

The Romanians’

Traditional Food

Mămăligă (/mə.mə'li.gə/, Romanian: Mămăligă) is a dish made out of yellow maize traditional for Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.

Mămăligă

Historically a peasant food, it was often used as a substitute for bread or even as a staple food in the poor rural areas.

Sarma is a noun derived from the Turkish verb sarmak, which means "wrapping" or "rolling”.Sarma is the name of a leaf roll made of mincemeat (pork, mutton, beef or combined), rice and large plant leaves, which may be cabbage, vine leaf common to the cuisines of Turkey and several countries that were formerly under Ottoman influence.

Sarma

Romanian

Literature

Mihai Eminescu

MihailSadoveanu

Ion Creanga

Ion LucaCaragiale

Vasile Alecsandri

Mihai Eminescu

Mihai Eminescu was a Romanian poet, prose writer and journalist. He is considered by readers and literary critics as the most important romantic writer of Romanian literature. He published his first poem at the age of 16.

Famous poems include Luceafărul ("Evening Star"), Odă în metru antic (Ode in ancient meter), and the five Scrisori (Epistles/Satires). Eminescu had been active in the Junimea literary society, and served as editor of Timpul, the official newspaper of the Conservative Party.

His poems span a large range of themes, from nature and love to history and social commentary. His childhood years were evoked in his later poetry with deep nostalgia.

Eminescu was only 20 when Titu Maiorescu, the top literary critic in 1870 Romania dubbed him "a real poet", in an essay where only a handful of the Romanian poets of the time were spared Maiorescu's harsh criticism.

He was proclaimed Romania's national poet, not because he wrote in an age of national revival, but rather because he was received as an author of paramount significance by Romanians in all provinces. Even today, he is considered the national poet of Romania, Moldova, and of the Romanians who live in the Ukrainian part of Bucovina.

“Doina” by Mihai Eminescu From Tisa to the Nistru's tide

All Romania's people criedThat they could no longer stirFor the rabbled foreigner.From Hotin down to the seaRides the Muscal cavalry;From the sea back to HotinNothing but their host is seen;While from Dorna to BoianSeems the plague has spread its ban;Leaving on our land a scarThat you scarcely know it more.Up the mountains down the dale,Have our foes flung far their trail.From Sacele to SatmarOnly foreign lords there are;While Romanians one and allLike the crab must backwards crawl.And reversed is everything:Spring for them is no more spring,Summer is no longer summer,They, at home, the foreign comer.From Turnu up to DorohoiDoes the alien horde deploy

Who has sent them to these parts,May the dogs eat out their hearts;May the night their homes efface,And with them this shameless race.May his widow live astrayChildren's bread ever deny.

Stephen, mighty emperor,You in Putna reign no more.While his holy PrelacyGuards alone the monastery,Where the priests in fervent prayerOf the saints take pious care.Let them toll the bells away,All the night and all the day,And the gracious Lord invokeThat he come and save your folk !Stephen rise up from the ground,And your battle trumpet soundAll Moldavia gathered round.Blow your trumpet just one blare,All Moldavia will be there;Let your trumpet blazed twoThat the forests follow you;Let your trumpet blazed three,That our foes demolished beFrom the mountains to the sea,That the crows may hear their knellAnd the gallows-tree as well.

And our fertile fields enjoy.With their rumbling trains they comeMaking all our voices dumb,And our birds so much affrayThat in haste they fly away.Nothing now but withered thornDoes the Christian's hearth adorn.And the smiling earth they smother;Forest-good Romanian brother -You too bend before their tide,And the very springs they've dried.Sad is this our countryside.

Mihail Sadoveanu He was a Romanian novelist, short story writer, journalist and political figure, who twice served as republican head of state under the communist regime. He was born in Paşcani, in western Moldavia.

One of the most prolific Romanian-language writers, he is remembered mostly for his historical and adventure novels, like: Neamul Şoimăreştilor ("The Şoimăreşti Family"),

Fraţii Jderi ("The Jderi Brothers"), Zodia Cancerului ("Under the Sign of the

Crab"), Baltagul ("The Hatchet").

The Hatchet is a 1930 crime novel written by M. Sadoveanu. It is one of the first Romanian novels.

It is about a woman called Vitoria Lipan and her husband, Nechifor Lipan, who went to buy some sheep from Dorna, and never came back.

Vitoria, a fearless woman, went with her son to find her lost husband.

The famous novel was turned into a movie in 1969 by the director Mircea Muresan.

“Baltagul”, the movie (1969)

Actress Sidonia Manolache

Ion Creanga Ion Creangă was a Romanian writer,

storyteller and memoirist. Creangă was born in the village of Humuleşti, located in the foothills of the Eastern Carpathians, in northern Moldavia, in 1837. As the first child of eight,

Creangă's mother wanted him to be educated for Orthodox priesthood.

Details of Creangă's youth can be extracted from his Amintiri din copilărie ("Memories of My Childhood")

Some of his most famous stories are Moş Ion Roată şi Unirea, Dănilă Prepeleac, Povestea porcului, Fata babei şi fata moşului,Povestea povestilor and Ivan Turbincă.

He retired as a teacher in 1887.

“Amintiri din copilărie” THE MOVIE

Vasile Alecsandri Vasile Alecsandri, (1821–1890) was a Romanian poet, playwright, politician, and diplomat. He collected Romanian folk songs and was one of the principal animators of the 19th century movement for Romanian cultural identity and union of Moldavia and Wallachia.

Between 1828 and 1834, he studied at the Victor Cuenim 'pensionnat', an elite boarding school for boys in Iaşi. He moved to Paris in 1834, where he dabbled in

chemistry, medicine and law, but soon abandoned all in favor of

what he called his "lifelong passion", literature.

In 1881, he wrote Trăiască Regele (Long Live the King), which became the national anthem of the Kingdom of Romania until the abolition of monarchy in 1947.

“Andrii Popa” by V. Alecsandri

The classic poetry of Vasile Alecsandri, reveals a romantic character, the outlaw who takes the road of the forests to turn into a defender of the rights of many other people.

Listen to “Andrii Popa” sung by the Romanian band Phoenix!

Enjoy!

Ion Luca Caragiale Ion Luca Caragiale (1852– 1912) was a Wallachian-born Romanian playwright, short story writer, poet, theater manager, political commentator and journalist.

Leaving behind an important cultural legacy, he is considered one of the greatest playwrights in Romanian language and literature, as well as one of its most important writers and a leading representative of local

humor.

He was born into a family of Greek descent, whose members first arrived in Wallachia soon after 1812

He made his literary debut in 1873, at the age of 21, with poems and humorous chronicles.

“The Visit” by CaragialeIt is a short story about a very

unusual visit. The first person narrator goes to visit Maria Popescu,an old friend of his, and her son. The son is the centerpiece of the story.

While they were talking,madam Popescu’s son, Ion, pours jam in the narrator's shoes and shows every aspect of bad manners and bad parenting that ever could be.

This is another masterpiece of Caragiale, from which we learn that parents shouldn’t spoil their children.

Romanian ContemporaryMusic

Their special effects with water and fire make their shows exceptional.

Luminita Anghel &Sistem won the third place at Eurovision 2005 at Kiev (Ukraine). They are a special pop band, different with their own way of singing, using barrels as drums and other unconventional instruments like coffee cups or buckets.

Morandi-Angels was their best song

loved by all Romania and many

others .

O-ZONE “DRAGOSTEA DIN TEI” O-zone was a very popular band in Romania having their best song “Dragostea din tei” which means “Love in the lime-tree” which was very famous in the years 2002-2005, but it is also played now everywhere you go.

Yours ,PLAYING WILL

That’s all folks … for now ! We hope that your

ride in the Romanian time machine has lifted your spirits

and made you willing to come and discover

us on your own… More than this, we hope

that you are still dancing to our catchy tunes!!!